Denis Landy (Labour)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Ann Phelan, to the committee. Regarding Bus Éireann, I support what the Minister of State said that the way this was announced was unacceptable. In fact, it was not announced at all; I heard it through local drivers. Tipperary is affected by this as well. It is not within the Minister of State's remit directly, but it has fallen to her now. I ask that she bring a message from this committee to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Donohoe, that a working group should be set up on a national basis to look at all of the changes that Bus Éireann proposes and that those of us from the various areas affected would be included. It is unacceptable, as the Minister of State said, that the rug was pulled from under us. I understand Bus Éireann has a commercial requirement to make it pay but the company also gets approximately €35 million a year of taxpayers' money for the PSO service. It cannot merely wash its hands of what it is attempting to do here. I ask that the Minister of State request the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, to set up a working group that deals with all of the areas that will be affected. That is more feasible. I understand there was a meeting last night in the Minister of State's constituency and, as a result, a working group is to be set up, but it needs to be broad.

On the 34 actions of CEDRA, I welcomed the CEDRA report when it was published. In the debate in the Seanad on the matter, I suggested to the Minister of State that in the time available to her she would not be able to put 34 actions into play. She mentioned that she is looking at the CEDRA report. Can she be a little more specific about the areas she intends to put into use and what part of CEDRA she will actualise in the next couple of months?

I agree with a previous speaker who stated that the rural development fund is too low at €1 million. I think the Minister of State would agree if I pressed her, but I will not. In any event, she mentioned one idea that she has worked on with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, in her report. What other ideas are being discussed for the use of this fund? Can she be a little more specific on it?

I totally agree with Senator Ó Clochartaigh about SICAP and the programme's predecessors. I will ask the question plainly. Is SICAP a follow-on from LCDP or will there be changes? Will there be a different emphasis? If so, what will that be?

In the context of the roll-out of the rural development programme, there is €250 million between 2014 and 2020.

I sat on a Leader programme board for quite a number of years and we always had a specific emphasis when putting together a funding programme. Will it be possible for locals to emphasise tourism, agritourism or walking trails, for example? Will local Leader boards that take on this task have leverage and autonomy for a specific local area?